


Grandmother's Legacy

by OnyxStitches



Series: The Fraser Valley Pack [3]
Category: Alpha and Omega - Patricia Briggs, Mercy Thompson Series - Patricia Briggs
Genre: Child's POV, Gen, Mentions of Racism, Shapeshifting, Syrena's backstory, Walkers, first shift, mentions of bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 15:30:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17645459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnyxStitches/pseuds/OnyxStitches
Summary: A sudden shock after school proves Syrena's takes as much after her grandmother as her mother does, and changes the young girl's life forever.





	Grandmother's Legacy

Mama had a secret, Rena knew. She could sense it. Just like she could sense the snow before it fell or the blows of the mean boys from school. Not that they ever got to many in. Rena was far too fast for some silly white boys to catch.

“To spoiled by their parents to know how to run.” Her mama would sneer. Muttering of TVs and video games and parents ruining their children for lack of exercise. Then she’d always turn her warm eyes back to Rena and sigh. “But you know better then to run from predators, darling. Hide from what it is not safe to try and out run. Doesn’t your teacher let you read in the class during break if you want to?”

Try not to run from something unless you're certain you’re faster then it. It was was one of Mama’s warnings about life. Running only makes them want to chase you more.

She knew her mother was right. Mama was almost always right, but running just felt better to Rena. It was more comfortable. When she got scared all she wanted to do was book it for the nearest bush, or other shady green thing. There were lots of places she could fit that the chubby boys were too big to squeeze into.

Besides hiding in the classroom left a bad taste in her mouth. It was better if she ran. When she ran the boys gave chase, called by an ancient instinct older then all of them, and too weak minded to resist fleeing prey. When Rena hid the boys would go after Sanpreet instead.

Which wasn’t fair to Sanpreet. She had bad lungs and couldn’t run, so the boys would always call her names and pull her hair. Dot face, they would call the girl. Sanpreet was indian with a dot, and Rena indian with a feather the boys would claim as they pushed and laughed.

They were wrong though. Sanpreet’s mom wore a pretty scarf all the time and went to mosque two blocks over. Rena had never seen either female with a dot on their heads.

Rena had never worn a feather either, so the boys were doubly wrong.

Not that would stop them. All the boys wanted was someone to push and tease. If Rena didn’t distract them then they’d go after Sanpreet, and that just wasn’t fair. They’d take Sanpreet’s inhaler again, and she needed that to breath.

Mama said it wasn’t nice to hurt others just because they were a little different. It wasn’t fair to make fun of Sanpreet because she had trouble breathing sometimes, or Rena because of her darker skin, or even Max for all his stuttering. The boys were just plain old mean!

So every lunch hour Rena would lead them on a mairy chase. They were never fast enough to catch her, and this way they left Sanpreet alone.

Sanpreet knew that too, which is why she sometimes thanked Rena! She said she was going to be getting a special puppy soon. One who was currently in school, and they would get to go to school with Sanpreet after.

She’d promised that Rena could pet the puppy first, just so long as it wasn’t wearing it’s vest, and Rena asked nicely first.

Mama wouldn’t let Rena bring a puppy to school. Mama wouldn’t even let her have a puppy at home. “No dogs,” Mama would say. “We don’t like predators in this house.”

She always clutched her shoulder as she said that. The funny one with all the red and white lines all over it. Some of them were rough, and some of them were smooth. Mama let her touch them during bath time, so long as she was gentle.

The little girl was so busy pondering her lunch hour shenanigans while wandering her back garden that she failed to notice the big truck stopping on the other side of the fence. So it was understandable why she jumped so badly when the truck backfired.

There was a moment, as Rena leapt up from fright, where the world froze and faded. Then her feet touched the ground, and everything rushed back in. Only this time twice as loud and scary as before.

She had to get somewhere safe! Rena knew it. She had to run, then hide until everything went still again. Movement was bad. Movement could chase, could rip, could claw and bite and hurt!

She ducked despretly for the shady space not far away. The space under the stairs was too small for the little girl to fit, but it held the little brown bunny just fine. She stayed huddled down there. All shaking fur, twitching ears, and the hope that the screaming world would pass her by.

* * *

Mama had a secret. Rena knew it now, because Mama told her. She told Rena of her grandmother, who had given Mama this secret shortly before she disappeared, and now Mama was sharing it with Rena too. Daddy knew it, but only her and Mama could do it. Mama said she’d tell her more about it later, she promised. But only if Rena got calm enough to turn back soon. Then Mama pulled her right out from under the stairs and carried her inside.

It was much quieter inside, and it smelled different.

It was better here, safer too. Mama let Rena hide under the bed, and didn’t even get mad when she nibbled the bedsheet. Hopefully Rena turned back soon, because she had so many questions for Mama.

She wanted to learn all about it, this shared secret of theirs. She couldn’t wait to ask!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Between hints in this oneshot and in the main story I think I've made it pretty clear what animal Syrena's is, but I'm curious if anyone can guess the exact breed. Leave a comment either here or on ch 4 of AToaRaaW when it's up. I'll announce the winners in ch 5. Good luck!


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